Amazon plans Prime Air expansion to nearly 500 US cities
Amazon has announced plans to expand its Prime Air drone delivery service to nearly 500 US cities by the end of 2026, increasing its footprint by roughly six times. The company said Prime Air will soon launch in 11 locations: Tolleson, Arizona; Ruskin, Florida; Kansas City, Kansas; Papillion, Nebraska; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Hazel Park and Pontiac, Michigan; and Richmond, San Antonio, Richardson and Waco, Texas.
The service already operates across seven states: Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas. Amazon also said launches in Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Idaho and New York are coming soon.
Thirty-minute deliveries and order eligibility
Prime Air is intended to give customers another rapid-delivery option alongside Amazon’s Same-Day and Next-Day services. David Carbon, vice president of Amazon Prime Air, said the service has delivered hundreds of thousands of packages to customers by drone this year and can complete deliveries in as fast as 30 minutes.
Nearly all items weighing 5 pounds or less are eligible for drone delivery. Prime members receive free ultrafast delivery on eligible orders of $50 or more; eligible orders below that threshold carry a $2.99 fee. Non-Prime customers pay $4.99.
Safety systems and aviation certification
Amazon emphasised safety in its expansion announcement. Prime Air uses a Detect-and-Avoid system designed to continuously monitor airspace and each drone’s surroundings. The aircraft also use onboard cameras and sensors for navigation, obstacle detection and delivery, and are designed to operate in light rain and across a range of temperatures.
The focus is notable as Prime Air returns to Tolleson, where two drones collided with the boom of a crane in October 2025. Amazon’s drones have also faced scrutiny after incidents involving an internet cable, a garden and an apartment building. Prime Air operates under Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 certification, the regulatory framework also used by commercial air carriers.
Competition in US drone delivery
Amazon’s logistics expansion follows its broader relationship with Amazon’s $5 billion Anthropic investment, which illustrates the company’s investment across delivery infrastructure and cloud technology. In drone delivery, Amazon faces expanding competition from Walmart and Alphabet’s Wing, which describe their joint operation as the largest drone delivery network in the United States.
In June, Walmart and Wing added seven markets, including Phoenix, Philadelphia and the Bay Area. For retailers and local fulfilment operators, Amazon’s planned scale makes drone delivery a practical channel to evaluate for lightweight, eligible orders where coverage, pricing and aviation requirements fit the delivery model.